INFORMATION PAPER

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP96-00788R002000250002-2
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
S
Document Page Count: 
8
Document Creation Date: 
November 4, 2016
Document Release Date: 
May 13, 2004
Sequence Number: 
2
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
July 22, 1980
Content Type: 
PAPER
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PDF icon CIA-RDP96-00788R002000250002-2.pdf590.51 KB
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Approved For Release 2 DAMI-ISH 22 Jul 80 PURPOSE: To inform the Chairman, JCS and Secretary of Defense, of a sensitive intelligence project (unclassified nickname GRILL FLAME) that has received close attention from Congress and the White House (U). 1. ($/NOFORN/ORCON) Since 1972, the US Government, including DOD, has been involved in examining on a close hold basis, potential uses of Psychoener- getics (Parapsychology -- PSI). Three specific aspects of psychic phenomena are of interest: Remote Viewing (clairvoyance), Remote Perturbation (psycho- kinesis) and Remote Communications (telepathy). Primarily, work has centered on Remote Viewing. (Note: Remote Viewing is the apparent ability by some to see places, events and persons far beyond their own physical location, in the present, past, or a future time.) Support for Project GRILL FLAME has blown hot and cold due to a number of factors, among them: its uniqueness, potential for political mischief and fear of public exposure in the aftermath of Watergate. 2. (S/NOFORN/ORCON) In the early 1970s serious consideration for PSI as an intelligence gathering tool received great impetus from what can only be des- cribed as astounding successes in Remote Viewing research by two laser physicists at Stanford Research Institute, Menlo Park, CA. Using several apparently gifted psychic subjects, the two scientists conducted a series of CIA-sponsored tests. Much detailed, accurate information, some of it previously unreported, was pro- vided on a secret NSA facility, the Soviet R&D facility in Semipalitinsk (see Tncl 1 guerilla trainin bases in Libya. It is not reasonable to assume that the SRI researchers had or tried to have access to closely held intelligence data. Their honesty has not been validly questioned. 3. (S/NOFORN/ORCON) Since those original tests the CIA -- for what they admit were political reasons -- dropped out of the picture. They continue, however, to maintain a high state of interest in all on-going work. Extensive defense applications are apparent. Within this framework the Services and DIA have at one time or another been involved in numerous PSI tests, most of them applications oriented. Army has been particularly active in this regard, and for the past 18 months has developed a significant in-house capability to examine the use of Remote Viewing in intelligence collection. A budding pro- gram to explore Remote Perturbation has been ordered cancelled. The Army's Remote Viewing project is conducted by the USA Intelligence and Security Command. ARMY review(s) completed. MGM MUNT (9) rib a 200 CLASSIFIED BY HQDA, ACSI REVIEW ON 22 JUL 2000 REAS: 2-310c DOD 5200.1-R(3) Approved For Release 2 Recognizing the need for cautious, prudent assessments at this point, it is still fair to say that INSCOM's preliminary efforts are impressive and call for continued support. As part of their analysis process INSCOM is now res- ponding to a select number of cleared consumers, including the CIA and the DOD Iran Task Force. Work is done on a request basis. Army's goals are to determine the veracity of PSI claims and if found to be plausible, establish parameters of operational accuracy, reliability and repeatability. The US Air Force has also developed good results in several cases. Inherent in the US nterest is the need to assess Soviet work in the area be eved to be many times greater than our own. 4. (S/NOFORN/ORCON) DIA, Army and Air Force intelligence are working to establish a coherent program of sufficient duration to settle to our own satisfaction pertinent PSI issues. Such a program should take from three to five years and is low cost; e.g., Army budgeted $150K for FY 81. DIA has agreed to act as the focal point for the interested organizations, and con- tracts will be joint. This approach will serve to insure close coordination and information sharing, while allowing each element to maintain needed con- trol of its scarce resources. 5. (S/NOFORN/ORCON) Army's program has been reviewed by the Surgeon General for compliance with appropriate regulations and statutes, as well as by the Army General Counsel for legal ramifications. No serious problems surfaced and their guidance is being strictly followed. In mid-1979, the Under Secre- tary of the Army and Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineer- ing ordered a special ad hoc panel to review and analyze past PSI work. The panel was composed of scientists, engineers and doctors, and deliberately in- cluded several who were avowed "non-believers". The result, in the view of DIA and Army, is a report of negative tone which is somewhat flawed. There are a number of unresolved questions and unfortunately the report received no out- side analysis or comment. To compound the problem, the review panel itself was split into distinct pro and con camps. The most significant result is that the USDRE ordered curtailment of all Program VI monies, but posed no objection to continuance of non-R&D intelligence applications efforts. 6. (S/NOFORN/ORCON) US Government involvement in this field is very sensitive and is closely monitored by Congress (House Select Committee on Intelligence -- seems favorably disposed); the Director, CIA (Deputy Director for Operations and IC Staff -- also favorably inclined); and the National Security Council (evidently favors). 7. (U) A great deal of interest and work is going on outside government, in what appears to be an upsurge of serious research. Increasingly, top quality talent is turning to what they consider a new frontier of science. In the United States, Dr. Robert Jahn, Dean of Princeton's School of Engineering, is a good example of the caliber becoming involved. MIL AMR- 9 Approved For Release 209%b~DP9 Q8t UL-Jj J &i.=1 jV Approved For ReleasesigA F4-RDP96-00788ROO2000250002-2 THE "PNUTS" EXAMPLE One of the earliest applications of remote viewing (RV) to intelligence problems was done in 1974 when CIA, via SRI researchers, asked for a description of the site known to the Intelligence Community as "PNUTS". The psychic was provided the latitude and longitude and was told it was an R&D site. *Two of the more striking correlations are: - The huge rail mounted crane. - The presence of metallic gores which comprise a sphere (or spheres) buried underground. *Available vugraphs clearly show these. W L~L'JiliAl~ Approved For~`~/2 ~ LELU J Approved or e 2004/ PSYCHIC TASK: RIE, k9) Mai M 29 4 X1102-2 o Locate US Navy Aircraft (A6E) and crew, missing somewhere in the world. INFORMATION PROVIDED TO PROJECT OFFICER: o Type aircraft. o Names of two crewman and duty station (Oceana NAS, VA). o Fact that aircraft disappeared several days previously on a flight from Lynchburg, VA, to the Pennsylvania border. INFORMATION PROJECT OFFICER GAVE TO PSYCHIC: o Xerox picture of A6E copied from Jane's. o Names of crewmen. o Stated mission of located crew and aircraft "somewhere in the world." RESULTS: o I feel like I'm on home turf and...its not big and jagged stuff, its low stuff. I feel like I'm in the Appalachians." o "Its like I'm in a small valley... formed by ridges. And the ridge on the right has the...big knob and the little knob." o "The name Lynchburg out of nowhere, while I was looking for terrain. Question: "Which direction from Lynchburg? Answer: "I want to say northwest." SUBSEQUENT KNOWNS: o Aircraft had crashed just northwest of Lynchburg (see map). o As psychic said, both crewmen were killed. o Psychic's map analysis after the session pointed to a place about 15 miles from actual crash site. o Site was almost directly on the Appalachian Trail, at a place called Bald Knob (the only "Knob" to be found on a map sheet which covered thousands of square miles. Proper map analsis would probably have led searchers to Bald Knob, rather that 15 miles off, but this is rational speculation. NOTES: o A second psychic arrived too late to participate fully, and without formal protocol, was asked to psychically "dowse" the map sheet. He arrived at a point six miles from the site. o Participants were asked if they had had any previous information whatsoever about the missing aircraft. None had, although it had been reported missing in a short Washington Post newspaper article some days prior. o Psychic provided a mass of detail describing the crash site, terrain, state of crew and aircraft, etc, and as with all sessions, was tape recorded and later put into AppvWL-Ed F 'R I ta 6 9 41IAZRD1R9OOTI8 0012O002fOQO fd category. R CONTOUR INTERVAL 100 FEET TRANSVERSE MERCATOR PROJECTION Ania &% ff,wgas? Wgdjg5j39 : CIA-RDP96-00788R002000250002-2 uy- Approved For UdG9f8 - UEUG a\ MMI, MV PSYCHIC TASK: o Describe what is located at geographic coordinates contained in sealed envelope. Coordinates were unknown to the psychic as well as session monitor, and were not read or shown during the test. TARGET: o Bridge in mainland China, selected by the project officer from a "Series 200" map sheet. Target was one of a large pool of mixed targets, which in- cluded civilian, military and "nothing" (e.g., a point in the middle of the Yellow Sea) variety. o "...A rather high bridge type structure... base of it being high arch shape things." o "More like an ordinary type railway suspension trestle bridge." o "I feel a bank. The edge of one side of the bank is too regular. I want to say it is too regular, that its got a levee or polder along it." NOTE: o Psychic correctly named the type target. o Subsequent look at the map revealed that the bridge did span a "levee" with that being the word used on the map sheet. o Given scarce personnel resources and available intelligence it was not feas- ible to confirm/deny the type of bridge. (Fa Approved For Release 2~ SG1A Approved For Release 2004/06/29 : CIA-RDP96-00788R002000250002-2 Approved For Release 2004/06/29 : CIA-RDP96-00788R002000250002-2 W-RD000250002-2 PSYCHIC TASK: o Describe what is located at the geographic coordinates given. TARGET: o Soviet Air Defense Missile Site. RESPONSE: o "Its interesting, I...when I turned around and looked, I saw what appeared to be some type of rocket blasting off. It reminded me of, you know how an SA-2 takes off in the desert, a big blast around it and then you see a streak going up. The target may be related to some type of SAM site. Some type of rocket." NOTES: o Target was selected from "Series 200" map sheet. It was in fact labeled as a SAM 2 site. o As usual, target was one of a large pool that had been preselected and sealed in envelopes. The protocol calls for random selection (throw of dice) of a envelope just before a test, by someone not directly connected with that particular trial. o This particular test was downgraded for accuracy by the project officer because the psychic named the place as China rather than the Soviet Union. Approved For Release Sil E7-RDP96-00788R002000250002-2